PROJECT MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATIONS

Certifications offered by the PMI can be important tools for professionals in project management who want to:

Gain a greater understanding of the tools available in the field and their specific use in order to improve their professional performance;

Show that their experience and knowledge in project management are certified by international standards;

Demonstrate their interest in project management and comply with its practices;

Distinguish themselves from other candidates on job application, recruitment and promotion processes.

The PMI offers eight different certifications to professionals with many different experiences, interests and needs. None of the certification requires the validation of others beforehand.

Did you know that PMI-Montréal offers preparatory courses for PMI certifications since 1990? For more information on the different courses offered by PMI-Montréal, please visit our Training section.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL (PMP)®

PMP® is considered to be the main reference in project management in the world. It is the most exhaustive certification as it does not focus on one specific type of methodology or field in project management. The PMP® certification is for experienced professionals, who have led project teams and have been responsible for all the different aspects of a project delivery.

Prerequisites

To be eligible to take the PMP® exam, candidates must meet the following conditions:

Hold university degree;

Have 4,500 working hours in leading and directing projects;

Have completed a 35 hours training in project management.

OR

Hold a CPD or high school diploma (or equivalent);

Have 7,500 working hours in leading and directing projects;

Have completed 35 hours of training in project management.

Application process

Candidates must submit an online application showing the experience and training in project management they have gained over the past 8 years. PMI then evaluates and confirms the eligibility of the candidates to take the exam. Half of the files are chosen randomly for further verification. If an application is chosen to be audited, the candidate is notified and has 90 days to show the documents and evidence needed. After receiving a confirmation, candidates’ professional experience will be assessed by a panel of experts that will decide whether they can register to take the exam at the regional Prometric center. For more information, please visit PMI’s PMP® website.

Exam fees (2018)

PMI member: US$ 405.00

Non-member: US$ 555.00

Maintaining the certification

The PMP® title must be renewed every 3 years. During that period of time, holders of the title must gather 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs).

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL (PgMP)®

As a project manager has gained enough experience to deal with several related projects coordinately in order to further the strategic and business objectives of her organization, he/she can think about obtaining the Program Management Professional (PgMP)® certification.

Prerequisites

To be eligible to take the PgMP® exam, candidates must meet the following conditions:

Hold university degree;

Have 6,000 working hours in project management;

Have 6,000 working hours in program management.

OR

Hold a CPD or high school diploma (or equivalent);

Have 6,000 working hours in project management;

Have 10,500 working hours in program management.

Application process

Candidates must submit an online application showing their experience in project and program management over the past 4 to 8 years. PMI then evaluates and confirms the eligibility of the candidates to take the exam. Half of the files are chosen randomly for further verification. If an application is chosen to be audited, the candidate is notified and has 90 days to show the documents and evidence needed. After receiving a confirmation, candidates’ professional experience will be assessed by a panel of experts that will decide whether they can register to take the exam at the regional Prometric center. For more information, please visit PMI’s PgMP® website.

Exam fees (2018)

PMI member: US$ 800.00

Non-member: US$ 1,000.00

Maintaining the certification

The PgMP® title must be renewed every 3 years. During that period of time, holders of the title must gain 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs).

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL (PfMP)®

Whether you are a senior practitioner or a board member managing a portfolio of projects and programs that have been selected to successfully contribute to the strategy of your organisation, you can consider obtaining the Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP)® certification.

Prerequisites

To be eligible to take PfMP® exam, candidates must have at least 8 years of experience in business and meet the following conditions:

Hold 4-year university degree;

Have 6,000 working hours in portfolio management.

OR

Hold a CPD or high school diploma (or equivalent);

Have 10,500 working hours in portfolio management.

Application process

Candidates must submit an online application showing their experience in business for 8 years minimum, and in portfolio management over the past 4 to 8 years. PMI then evaluates and confirms the eligibility of the candidates to take the exam. Half of the files are chosen randomly for further verification. If an application is chosen to be audited, the candidate is notified and has 90 days to show the documents and evidence needed. After receiving a confirmation, candidates’ professional experience will be assessed by a panel of experts that will decide whether they can register to take the exam at the regional Prometric center. For more information, please visit PMI’s PfMP® website.

Exam fees (2018)

PMI member: US$ 800.00

Non-member: US$ 1,000.00

Maintaining the certification

The PfMP® title must be renewed every 3 years. During that period of time, holders of the title must gain 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs).

CERTIFIED ASSOCIATE PROJECT MANAGER (CAPM)®

CAPM® is designed for beginners in the project management field, as well as for members of project teams and students with little to no experience. There is little conditions and students can submit one application form to join PMI as a student member and take the CAPM exam at the member discount rate.

Prerequisites

To be eligible to take the CAPM® exam, candidates must meet the following conditions:

Hold CPD or high school diploma (or equivalent);

Have 1,500 working hours in project management.

OR

Have completed 23 hours of training in project management.

Application process

Candidates must submit an online application showing either their experience, or trainings in project management over the past years. PMI then evaluates and confirms the eligibility of the candidates to take the exam. Half of the files are chosen randomly for further verification. If an application is chosen to be audited, the candidate is notified and has 90 days to show the documents and evidence needed. After receiving a confirmation, candidates’ professional experience will be assessed by a panel of experts that will decide whether they can register to take the exam at the regional Prometric center. For more information, please visit PMI’s CAPM® website.

Exam fees (2018)

PMI member: US$ 225.00

Non-member: US$ 300.00

Maintaining the certification

The CAPM® title must be renewed every 5 years. To do so, holders must retake the exam.

PMI PROFESSIONAL IN BUSINESS ANALYSIS (PMI-PBA)®

Business analytics is becoming an increasingly important skill in project management. Thanks to the PMI-PBA® certification, your expertise in business analytics will be emphasized. It helps to demonstrate your abilities in defining the operational requirements, delivering project outcomes and producing successful business results.

Prerequisites

To be eligible to take the PMI-PBA® exam, candidates must not only have a minimum of 2,000 working hours among project management teams but also meet the following conditions:

Hold 4-year university degree;

Have 4,500 working hours in business analytics;

Have completed 35 hours of training in business analytics.

OR

Hold a CPD or high school diploma (or equivalent);

Have 7,500 working hours in business analytics;

Have completed 35 hours of training in business analytics.

Application process

Candidates must submit an online application showing their experience in business analytics over the past 8 years. PMI then evaluates and confirms the eligibility of the candidates to take the exam. Half of the files are chosen randomly for further verification. If an application is chosen to be audited, the candidate is notified and has 90 days to show the documents and evidence needed. After receiving a confirmation, candidates’ professional experience will be assessed by a panel of experts that will decide whether they can register to take the exam at the regional Prometric center. For more information, please visit PMI’s PMI-PBA® website.

Exam fees (2018)

PMI member: US$ 405.00

Non-member: US$ 555.00

Maintaining the certification

The PMI-PBA® title must be renewed every 3 years. During that period of time, holders of the title must gather 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) in the business analytics field.

PMI AGILE CERTIFIED PRACTITIONER (PMI-ACP)®

If you are an experienced user of Agile methods and you would like to strengthen your versatility, PMI-ACP® certification was designed to validate your skills.

Prerequisites

To be eligible to take the PMI-ACP® exam, candidates must meet the following conditions:

Hold at least 2,000 working hours in project management over the past 5 years. If you already hold a PMP® or PgMP® certification, your experience is automatically approved by the PMI;

Have a minimum of 1,500 hours of experience in Agile project management over the past 3 years;

Have completed a training of 21 hours in Agile practices.

Application process

Candidates must submit an online application showing their experience in project management, and Agile projects in particular, over the past 5 years. The PMI then evaluates and confirms the eligibility of the candidates to take the exam. Half of the files are chosen randomly for further verification. If an application is chosen to be audited, the candidate is notified and has 90 days to show the documents and evidence needed. After receiving a confirmation, candidates’ professional experience will be assessed by a panel of experts that will decide whether they can register to take the exam at the regional Prometric center. For more information, please visit PMI’s PMI-ACP® website.

Exam fees (2018)

PMI member: US$ 435.00

Non-member: US$ 495.00

Maintaining the certification

The PMI-ACP® title must be renewed every 3 years. During that period of time, holders of the title must gain 30 Professional Development Units (PDUs) on topics related to Agile methodologies.

PMI RISK MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL (PMI-RMP)®

With projects’ globalization and their increasing complexity, a manager who can effectively deal with risks becomes an important asset for any organization. The PMI-RMP® certification acknowledges your expertise and skills in identifying and evaluating projects’ risks, and in designing strategies to limit the threats and take advantage of the opportunities.

Prerequisites

To be eligible to take the PMI-RMP®, exam, candidates must meet the following conditions:

Hold 4-year university degree;

Have 3,000 working hours in project management;

Have completed 30 hours of training in risk management.

OU

Hold CPD or high school diploma (or equivalent);

Have 4,500 working hours in project management;

Have completed 40 hours of training in risk management.

Application process

Candidates must submit an online application showing their experience in risk management over the past 5 years. PMI then evaluates and confirms the eligibility of the candidates to take the exam. Half of the files are chosen randomly for further verification. If an application is chosen to be audited, the candidate is notified and has 90 days to show the documents and evidence needed. After receiving a confirmation, candidates’ professional experience will be assessed by a panel of experts that will decide whether they can register to take the exam at the regional Prometric center. For more information, please visit PMI’s PMI-RMP® website.

Exam fees (2018)

PMI member: US$ 520.00

Non-member: US$ 670.00

Maintaining the certification

The PMI-RMP® title must be renewed every 3 years. During that period of time, holders of the title must gather 30 Professional Development Units (PDUs) in the specific field of risk management.

PMI SCHEDULING PROFESSIONAL (PMI-SP)®

Project schedules are a major aspect of project management. Nowadays, projects (and teams) are increasingly globalized and virtual, and, as such, the establishment of a schedule is a key element to manage activities, resources, dependencies and eventually the result of a project. The PMI-SP® certification acknowledges your expertise and skills in effectively dealing with project timelines.

Prerequisites

To be eligible to take the PMI-SP® exam, candidates must meet the following conditions:

Hold 4-year university degree;

Have 3,500 working hours in project scheduling;

Have completed 30 hours of training on the topic of project scheduling.

OU

Hold CPD or high school diploma (or equivalent);

Have 5,000 working hours in project scheduling;

Have completed 40 hours of training on the topic of project scheduling.

Application process

Candidates must submit an online application showing their experience in project timelines management over the past 5 years. PMI then evaluates and confirms the eligibility of the candidates to take the exam. Half of the files are chosen randomly for further verification. If an application is chosen to be audited, the candidate is notified and has 90 days to show the documents and evidence needed. After receiving a confirmation, candidates’ professional experience will be assessed by a panel of experts that will decide whether they can register to take the exam at the regional Prometric center. For more information, please visit PMI’s PMI-SP® website.

Exam fees (2018)

PMI member: US$ 520.00

Non-member: US$ 670.00

Maintaining the certification

The PMI-RMP® title must be renewed every 3 years. During that period of time, holders of the title must gather 30 Professional Development Units (PDUs) in the specific field of project scheduling.

OBTAINING PDUS

As we have seen in previous sections, all project management professionals who have obtained a certification (except the CAPM®) must declare their PDUs (Professional Development Units) to the PMI every 3 years to keep it valid. Each unit refers to an hour of professional development activity.

The following table gives a brief overview of all the certifications that require the acquisition of new PDUs, showing how many are required for each of them and the constraints regarding each specific field, according to PMI’s Continuing Certifications Requirements:

Earning PDUs is the process adopted by the PMI to ensure that you actively work on maintaining your knowledge, and that you contribute effectively to the project management community. The number of PDUs required to renew your certifications every 3 years can be easily obtained.

PMI-Montréal offers several activities to encourage its members keep their certifications, such as the Symposium and PMI Morning Conferences (“Education”), as well as many opportunities to volunteer and give conferences (“Give back to the community”).

For more information on PMI-Montréal’s activities, please visit this Guide’s section named “Being part of the project management community”. [add link]

PMI have two different categories of PDUs. Although you must always obtain some PDUs in the “Education” category, earning them in “Give back to the community” category is not mandatory.

In “Give back to the community”, there are several ways to obtain PDUs:

By volunteering at activities organized by the PMI (and PMI-Montréal in particular).

In “Education”, there are also several ways to earn PDUs. However, it is worth noting that it is now mandatory to obtain at least 8 units in each of the following skills category, as defined by the PMI Talent Triangle®:

Technical project management;

Leadership;

Strategic and business management.

Other units needed to meet the minimum requirements can be obtained in any of these skills. There is no limit regarding the number of PDUs that can be earned in this category, and the following activities are possible ways of doing so:

Course or training given preferably by one of the PMI’s registered education providers (R.E.P.). More information related to R.E.P. partners that are recognized by the PMI in Quebec, please visit the R.E.P. section.

Professional development events related to your field of work. PMI and PMI-Montréal organize many activities throughout the year – such as the annual Symposium;

Online and digital media offer a lot of learning materials that can help you progress at your own pace. One of your main providers should be the com platform. If you are a PMI member, every PDU earned will be registered automatically;

Reading books, articles, blogs, white papers and other resources related to project management. You must keep track of and register your reading activities;

Informal learning such as sharing knowledge, information and more structured discussions with other professionals.

THE SPECIALISED LITERATURE

As other fields, project management is in constant evolution. For that matter, it is paramount for a project manager to stay in touch with the latest tools and methods. A good way to learn new strategies and skills, is to read books on the topic.

Creating a list of the best books on project management is not easy. Firstly, there is a huge variety of book helping project managers to improve their skills. Secondly, the idea of what makes a good, insightful read is very subjective. How to choose and where to start? What matters first is to select books that are adapted to your level of expertise, your field of activity and your own experience in project management.

In order to list some essential books, we have asked recommendations from experienced project managers and conducted researches on specialized websites. The following list is not exhaustive but gives a good idea of where to start from. The following 25 mentioned titles are written in their original language and are in no specific order.